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These resistance bands could enhance your training and help build strength
Ideal for all levels of fitness, resistance bands come in different strengths to challenge your muscles
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Your support makes all the difference.They may look like supersized elastic bands, but the humble resistance band can make a big difference to how tight and toned your muscles look.
Resistance bands can give you a full body workout from the comfort of your own home, whenever you have a gap in your schedule. They exploded in popularity during the many lockdowns, with people using them as an alternative to weights when the gyms were closed and the price of dumbbells shot up. But even though gyms have been back open for several years, resistance bands are still used to complement strength training as they make muscles fire up in a different way to barbells and dumbbells. And if you’re a runner, a cyclist or mainly do cardio to keep fit, resistance bands are a cost-effective way to strengthen muscles to help avoid injury.
Resistance bands give you constant tension with increasing resistance as the band stretches. In contrast, free weights offer the same resistance throughout the entire movement and have a relaxation point. So even if you lift super heavy in the gym, you may not be making your muscles fire up as much as they’re capable of if you’re not adding some resistance band training into your workout plan.
The three main types of resistance bands are loop bands, which are normally wrapped around the legs to train the inner thighs and glutes; tube bands that have handles on both ends for full-body workouts; and pull-up bands that are longer than loop bands and can be stood on for upper body workouts or placed under furniture for extra resistance for leg movements like donkey kickbacks and hip extenders.
All three of these varieties can be snapped up at Myprotein, with prices starting from just £10. Here are some of the most popular Myprotein resistance bands that fitness fans use to tone up different body parts.
Myprotein pull-up resistance band two, 16kg: £10, Myprotein.com
Ideal for beginners, this long pull-up band style resistance band offers adjustable resistance, ranging from a beginner-friendly 2kg to a challenging 16kg. Changing your hand position on the band affects the resistance levels, and you’ll get more resistance the shorter you make the band.
Stand on the band to do upper body movements like bicep curls and bent-ver rows or hook it over your feet for lower body exercises including split squats and single-leg deadlifts.
Myprotein tube resistance band with handles, heavy: £11, Myprotein.com
With rubber handles for a comfortable grip, tube resistance bands should feel satisfying to hold. The grey colour is heavy, but you can also choose from light, medium or super heavy.
As you have a secure grip on the band, they’re great for upper body rows and pulls, especially when looped around a piece of furniture or a door handle. You can put your feet through one of the handles to increase the intensity of some lower body moves like donkey kickbacks and fire hydrants, where you’re kneeling on all fours and lifting your leg up or to the side.
Myprotein booty band bundle: £30, Myprotein.com
For a peachy booty, resistance bands actually work since several studies have revealed glute bands are super effective for glute activation. Different exercises with the band when placed on the thigh, above the knee more specifically, activate all three gluteal muscles which is what you need to change its appearance.
Use them for squats, lateral leg lifts, donkey kickbacks, side lunges, sumo squats and more to feel the burn and make a difference in how your bum looks and feels. It’s a good idea to start off with the lightest band inside the pack – cream – and progress to orange and black when you’ve built up a solid starting point.
Myprotein tube multi-use 11-piece resistance band set: £50, Myprotein.com
The Myprotein 11-piece resistance band set is the most expensive set Myprotein, but it provides everything you need to achieve a full-body workout at home. The set includes bands of varying resistances, allowing you to customize your workout intensity.
The looped bands are ideal for exercises (think squats with added resistance, glute bridges) that target your glutes and hamstrings, and bicep curls to sculpt your arms. The longer resistance bands can be used for rows to strengthen your back, overhead presses to work your shoulders, and core exercises like leg raises.
Myprotein booty band, heavy: £9.99, Myprotein.com
If you don’t want to spend £30 on a set of booty bands, you can buy them in single packs from Myprotein. Why not start with a heavy and see how many reps you can do? It’s better to challenge your muscles to work hard than to make life easy for them with a lighter band.
Use it to step out to the side with one leg, loop the band around your ankles, and lower yourself into a lunge. Feel the burn in your outer thighs and glutes. Or get on all fours with the band looped around your ankles. Lift one leg out to the side, keeping your knee bent, then return it to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg. This will work out the side of your bum so that it looks super pert and lifted from all angles.
Are your muscles sore after working out? Read our review of the best massage guns